Iran seizes two Greek tankers

Response to the USA, which confiscated an oil cargo

After the United States seized Iranian oil from a tanker off the Greek coast, Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf on Friday. Shortly beforehand, Tehran had warned against taking "punitive measures" against Athens.

The Greek Foreign Ministry stated that an Iranian navy helicopter had landed on the ship "Delta Poseidon", which was sailing in international waters under the Greek flag, and had taken the crew, including two Greek citizens, hostage.

A similar incident had occurred on the "Prudent Warrior", another ship flying the Greek flag. Last month, the Greek authorities seized the Iranian-flagged "Pegas" with 19 Russian crew members on board off the coast of the southern island of Evia due to European Union sanctions.

The United States then seized the Iranian oil cargo on board and intended to bring it to the United States on another ship, Reuters reported on Thursday. It was unclear whether the cargo was seized because it was Iranian oil or because of sanctions against the tanker due to its links to Russia. Iran and Russia are subject to different sanctions by the USA.

Each ship had around one million barrels on board. A spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said it was aware of the reported seizures and was looking into them. The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday against what it called a Russian-backed oil smuggling and money laundering network for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force.

Shipping industry demands safety

Following the seizure of two oil tankers sailing under the Greek flag by Iran last week, the shipping industry is calling for the safe passage of merchant ships in the Persian Gulf.

The two tankers "Delta Poseidon" and "Prudent Warrior" were seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf on 27 May 2022. There are currently almost 50 seafarers in custody on board the two tankers.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the International Chamber of Shipping and the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) called for a "swift and diplomatic solution" so that the ships and crews can be released. Iran, on the other hand, stated that the crews would not be detained but would remain on board the ships.

All countries have an obligation to ensure the safe passage of merchant ships within the framework of the freedom of navigation protected in Article 87(1)(a) and the right of innocent passage laid down in Article 19 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to the ICS and ECSA statement.

Source: gcaptain/Mike Schuler/George Georgiopoulos/Dubai MacSwan and Mark Potter, Thomson Reuters 2022.